"The Government has a strong record on reinforcing the independence and accountability of the statistics."

However, Labour's Shadow Policing Minister Jack Dromney said: "The Government should not be complacent.

"Seven police force areas show increases or no reduction in crime, some kinds of crime have seen big increases and these figures also don't capture the full picture, as retail crime isn't included in the crime survey.

"As our police service is hollowed out, with more than 15,000 police officers already lost, the thin blue line protecting our communities is being stretched still further."